Laundry treatment apparatus

ABSTRACT

The laundry treatment apparatus includes a cabinet having a receiving space for reception of laundry, a feeder configured to feed at least one of air or moisture into the receiving space, a support structure placed in the receiving space, the support structure providing a support space to allow a surface of the laundry to be supported by the support space, a guide affixed in the receiving space, the guide being configured to set a movement range of the laundry to prevent the laundry from deviating from the support space, and a press structure separably coupled to the support structure, the press structure being configured to apply pressure to the laundry positioned in the support space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This applicationNotice: More than one reissue application has been filedfor the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 9,359,717 B2. This reissue applicationis U.S. Reissue patent application Ser. No. 16/129,098, filed on Sep.12, 2018, which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. Reissuepatent application Ser. No. 16/002,610, filed on Jun. 7, 2018, now U.S.Pat. No. RE48,255, which is a reissue application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/559,753, filed on Dec. 3, 2014, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,359,717 B2, issued Jun. 7, 2016 which claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0150441 filed onDec. 5, 2013, whose entire disclosure is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to laundry treatment apparatuses.

2. Background

Generally, laundry treatment apparatuses refer to apparatuses thatperform a variety of operations related to laundry (washing, drying,deodorization, wrinkle removal, and the like). Examples of laundrytreatment apparatuses include washing machines that wash laundry, dryingmachines that dry wet laundry, and refreshers for deodorization andremoval of wrinkles of laundry.

In recent years, laundry treatment apparatuses have been developed toallow a single apparatus to perform all of washing, drying,deodorization, and removal of wrinkles. However, these laundry treatmentapparatuses, which include a drum in which laundry is received and adrive device to rotate the drum, do not provide satisfactorydeodorization and removal of wrinkles.

Most laundry treatment apparatuses have limits on deodorization orremoval of wrinkles because they generally perform deodorization orremoval of wrinkles during rotation of a drum and laundry introducedinto the drum is not spread, but wrinkled.

In addition, most laundry treatment apparatuses have no means to put acrease in laundry (e.g., the straight line in the front and back oftrousers), which causes a user to inconveniently use a crease makingmeans, such as an iron, after completion of washing or drying whendesired to put a crease in laundry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thefollowing drawings in which like reference numerals refer to likeelements wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing one example of a laundry treatment apparatusaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the laundry treatment apparatus accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a presser included in the laundry treatmentapparatus according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a view showing another embodiment of the presser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION DISCLOSURE

As shown in FIG. 1, a laundry treatment apparatus according to thepresent disclosure, designated by reference numeral 100, includes acabinet 1 defining an external appearance of the laundry treatmentapparatus 100, a laundry receiver 3 defined within the cabinet 1 toprovide a laundry receiving space, a feeder to feed at least one of airor moisture to the laundry receiver 3, and a presser 9 placed within thelaundry receiver 3, the presser 9 serving to smooth out the wrinkles inlaundry or to put a crease in laundry (e.g., the straight line in thefront and back of trousers).

The laundry receiver 3 includes a receiving space 31 in which laundry isreceived, the receiving space 31 being defined within the cabinet 1. Thereceiving space 31 is opened or closed by a door 11 coupled to thecabinet 1.

The cabinet 1 may accommodate laundry support members configured tosupport laundry. The laundry support members may include a first laundrysupport member 4 installed in the receiving space 31 and a secondlaundry support member 5 affixed to the door 11.

The first laundry support member 4 may take the form of a bar thatextends in the width direction of the receiving space 31 (i.e. in awidth direction of the door 11 or along the Y-axis) or in the depthdirection of the receiving space 31 (i.e. along the X-axis). FIG. 1shows the case in which the first laundry support member 4 extends inthe width direction of the receiving space 31 by way of example.

In this case, laundry may be supported by the first laundry supportmember 4 via a hook H of a hanger 200 or without the hanger 200. Ineither case, laundry may be kept spread within the receiving space 31.

The second laundry support member 5 is affixed to the door 11 to allowlaundry to be placed within the receiving space 31 while being keptspread. More specifically, the second laundry support member 5, asexemplarily shown in FIG. 2, may include a base 54 affixed to the door11, and two or more support pieces or hooks 51, 52 and 53 protrudingfrom the base 54 and arranged in the height direction of the door 11(i.e. along the Z-axis).

The support pieces of the second laundry support member 5 may include afirst support piece 53, a second support piece 52 that is located abovethe first support piece 53 and has a greater length than a length of thefirst support piece 53, and a third support piece 51 that is locatedabove the second support piece 52 and has a greater length than a lengthof the second support piece 52.

The reason why length of the support pieces increases from the firstsupport piece 53 to the third support piece 51 is to allow the secondlaundry support member 5 to support a number of laundries. As laundry ishung on hangers 200 and hooks H of the hangers 200 are supported by therespective support pieces 51, 52 and 53, the laundry is kept spreadwithin the receiving space 31.

Meanwhile, the cabinet 1 may further include a machine room 7 isolatedfrom the receiving space 31. In this case, the feeder may be mounted inthe machine room 7.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the machine room 7 may be located underthe receiving space 31 and may be opened and closed by a machine roomdoor 74.

When air fed into the receiving space 31 by the feeder is heated air andmoisture fed into the receiving space 31 by the feeder is steam,positioning the machine room 7 under the receiving space 31 ensures thatthe heated air or steam is evenly fed into the receiving space 31without a separate blowing device.

The feeder may include at least one of an air feeder 71 that feeds air(heated air or unheated air) into the receiving space 31 and a moisturefeeder 72 that feeds moisture (steam or mist) into the receiving space31.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it is assumed that thefeeder includes both the air feeder 71 and the moisture feeder 72, theair feeder 71 feeds hot air into the receiving space 31, and themoisture feeder 72 feeds steam into the receiving space 31.

The air feeder 71 may include a circulation duct 711 for circulation ofinterior air of the receiving space 31, a heat exchanger 713 for heatexchange with air moving through the circulation duct 711, and a blower715 for movement of interior air of the receiving space 31 through thecirculation duct 711.

The circulation duct 711 communicates with the interior of the receivingspace 31 through an air discharge port 35 and an air suction port 36 ofthe receiving space 31.

The air discharge port 35 and the air suction port 36 are perforated inthe bottom of the receiving space 31 to enable communication between thereceiving space 31 and the machine room 7. As such, when the circulationduct 711 mounted in the machine room 7 is connected at one end thereofto the air suction port 36 and at the other end thereof to the airdischarge port 35, the circulation duct 711 may communicate with theinterior of the receiving space 31.

The heat exchanger 713 serves to dehumidify and heat air introduced untothe circulation duct 711. FIG. 2 shows a heat pump as one example of theheat exchanger.

When the heat exchanger 713 takes the form of a heat pump, the heatexchanger 713 may include an evaporator E located within the circulationduct 711, a condenser C located within the circulation duct 711, acompressor P located at the outside of the circulation duct 711, and anexpander Ex located at the outside of the circulation duct 711.

The evaporator E, the compressor P, the condenser C, and the expander Exare connected to one another via refrigerant tubes 714.

The compressor P serves to compress refrigerant to high pressure toallow the refrigerant to be circulated through the refrigerant tubes714. The evaporator E serves to evaporate the refrigerant by absorbingheat from air within the circulation duct 711. The condenser C serves tocondense the refrigerant by discharging heat to the air within thecirculation duct 711.

The blower 715 is located within the circulation duct 711 and serves tocause circulation of the interior air of the receiving space 31 throughthe circulation duct 711. The blower 715 is located between thecondenser C and the air discharge port 35.

Accordingly, when the blower 715 is operated, the air within thecirculation duct 711 moves into the receiving space 31 through the airdischarge port 35, and the interior air of the receiving space 31 movesinto the circulation duct 711 through the air suction port 36.

The air introduced into the circulation duct 711 through the air suctionport 36 is cooled while passing through the evaporator E and, in turn,the air having passed through the evaporator E is heated while passingthrough the condenser C.

When the air is cooled while passing through the evaporator E, moisturecontained in the air is removed (dehumidification), and the moistureremoved from the air (condensate water) remains on a surface of theevaporator E or within the circulation duct 711.

Since the resultant condensate water remaining in the circulation duct711 causes deterioration in the heat exchange efficiency of the heatexchanger 713, according to the present disclosure, a drain unit may befurther provided to remove the condensate water generated by theevaporator E.

The drain unit may include a drain tank 745 separably coupled to themachine room door 74, and a drainpipe 747 and a drain pump 749 whichserve to direct the condensate water from the circulation duct 711 tothe drain tank 745.

The drain tank 745 may have any shape so long as it can provide a spacefor storage of liquid. Preferably, the drain tank 745 may include adrain tank lid 7451 for discharge of liquid stored in the drain tank 745and an inlet hole 7453 for separable connection of the drainpipe 747.

The inlet hole 7453 may be provided with a check valve (not shown). Thisserves to allow the drainpipe 747 to be separated from the inlet hole7453 when the machine room door 74 opens the machine room 7 and to allowthe drainpipe 747 to be inserted into the inlet hole 7453 when themachine room door 74 closes the machine room 7 (in addition topreventing leakage of water out of the drain tank 745 when the draintank 745 is separated from the machine room door 74).

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the moisture feeder 72 may include areservoir 721 placed in the machine room 7, a heater 725 mounted in thereservoir 721, and a moisture feed pipe 727 to connect the reservoir 721to a moisture discharge port 37.

The reservoir 721 serves to store water therein. The heater 725 servesto heat the water stored in the reservoir 721 to change the water intosteam. The moisture feed pipe 721 serves to guide steam from thereservoir 721 to the receiving space 31.

Accordingly, the heater 725 is preferably located proximate to thebottom of the reservoir 721, and the moisture feed pipe 727 ispreferably located at the top (or an upper end) of the reservoir 721.

The reservoir 721 receives water via a water supply unit. The watersupply unit may include a water supply tank 743 separably coupled to themachine room door 74.

In this case, the reservoir 721 may be provided with a connection pipe723 that is connected to the water supply tank 743 when the machine roomdoor 7 closes the machine room 7 and is separated from the water supplytank 743 when the machine room door 7 opens the machine room 7.

While the water supply tank 743 may have any shape so long as it canstore liquid therein, preferably, the water supply tank 743 may includea water supply tank lid 7431 for supply of liquid into the water supplytank 743, a discharge hole (not shown) for insertion of the connectionpipe 723, and a check valve 7435 provided at the discharge hole.

The reason why the water supply tank 743 is separably coupled to themachine room door 74 is that the laundry treatment apparatus 100according to the present disclosure is installed at a position distantfrom a water supply source (not shown).

That is, when the laundry treatment apparatus 100 is located proximateto a water supply source, the reservoir 721 may be controlled to receivewater from the water supply source as needed. However, this control isimpossible when the laundry treatment apparatus 100 is installed at aposition distant from the water supply source. The water supply tank 743serves to solve this problem.

Accordingly, differently from previous laundry treatment apparatusesthat perform deodorization or removal of wrinkles by supplying hot airor steam into a drum during rotation of the drum, the laundry treatmentapparatus 100 according to the present disclosure is configured to feedhot air or steam while keeping laundry spread within the receiving space31, thereby preventing the laundry from being wrinkled after steam orhot air is fed thereto.

Meanwhile, the presser (see reference numeral 9) shown in FIG. 1 servesto remove wrinkles of laundry or to put a crease in laundry (e.g., thestraight line in the front and back of trousers) using steam and hot airfed into the receiving space 31.

The presser 9, which is configured to direct at least one of steam andhot air fed into the receiving space 31 to laundry, may be located atany position within the receiving space 31. FIG. 1 shows the case inwhich the presser 9 is affixed to an inner surface of the door 11 (i.e.a surface of the door 11 defining one side of the receiving space 31) byway of example.

The presser 9 according to the present disclosure may include a supportstructure 91 formed in the inner surface of the door 11 to provide alaundry support space, and a press structure 93 rotatably coupled to thesupport structure 91 or the door 11, the press structure 93 serving toapply pressure to laundry placed in the support structure 91.

The support structure 91 may be a surface of the door 11 facing thereceiving space 31, or may be a separate member affixed to the surfaceof the door 11. FIG. 1 shows the case in which the support structure 91includes a support body 911 affixed to the surface of the door 11 by wayof example.

In this case, the support body 911 may have a plane parallel to thesurface of the door 11.

The press structure 93 may include a press body 931 separably coupled tothe inner surface of the door 11 or the support body 911, and a bodythrough-hole 933 perforated in the press body 931 to direct steam or hotair introduced into the receiving space 31 to laundry supported by thesupport body 911.

That the press body 931 is separably coupled to the inner surface of thedoor 11 or the support body 911 means that one end of the press body 931is rotatably coupled to the door 11 or the support body 911 and theother end (free end) of the press body 931 is separably coupled to thedoor 11 or the support body 911.

In addition, that the press body 931 is separably coupled to the innersurface of the door 11 or the support body 911 means that the press body931 is completely separable from the door 11 or the support body 911without any connection therebetween.

FIG. 1 shows the case in which the press body 931 is secured to the door11 via a hinge 95 mounted to the inner surface of the door 11 by way ofexample. The press body 931 is separably coupled to the inner surface ofthe door 11 via a coupling mechanism 971 and 973.

The coupling mechanism may include a separable coupling recess 971formed in one of the door 11 and the press body 931 and a couplingprotrusion 973 formed at the other one of the door 11 and the press body931 so as to be engaged with the separable coupling recess 971.

Accordingly, as the user hangs the hook H of the hanger 200 on thesecond laundry support member 5, laundry such as trousers may besupported by a surface of the support body 911 while being kept spread.

Once laundry is supported by the surface of the support body 911, theuser may pivotally rotate the press body 931 toward the support body 911to couple the press body 931 and the support body 911 to each other viathe coupling mechanism 971 and 973.

When the air feeder 71 or the moisture feeder 72 feeds hot air or steaminto the receiving space 31 while the laundry is kept pressed betweenthe support body 911 and the press body 931, the hot air or steam withinthe receiving space 31 is fed to the laundry through the bodythrough-hole 933.

Accordingly, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 of the presentdisclosure has the effects of removing wrinkles from laundry and ofputting a crease in laundry (e.g., the straight line in the front andback of trousers).

Meanwhile, in the case of laundry such as trousers, there exists asewing line that may cause the presser 9 having the above-describedconfiguration to put an unnecessary crease in the laundry.

To solve this problem, the presser 9 may further include grooves 913 and937 formed in any one of the support body 911 and the press body 931 toprevent a specific region of laundry such as a sewing line from beingpressed.

FIG. 1 shows the case in which the support body 911 includes a supportbody groove 913 and the press body 931 includes a press body groove 937by way of example.

The support body groove 913 may be recessed in a surface of the supportbody 911 to extend in the height direction of the door 11 (i.e. alongthe Z-axis). That is, the support body groove 913 may be recessed tocause the surface of the support body 911 to be far away from thereceiving space 31.

Likewise, the press body groove 937 may be recessed in a surface of thepress body 931 to extend in the height direction of the door 11 (i.e.along the Z-axis), thus causing the surface of the press body 931 to befar away from the support body 911 (to be closer to the receiving space31).

Accordingly, in the present disclosure, when the press body 931 and thesupport body 911 are coupled to each other, the support body groove 913and the press body groove 937 may be aligned with each other to define aspace in a longitudinal direction of laundry (parallel to the heightdirection of the door 11) in which no pressure is applied to a specificregion of laundry such as a sewing line.

It should be noted, differently from the above description, that thepresent disclosure may employ only one of the support body groove 913and the press body groove 937.

In addition, the support body groove 913 may be located at the center ofthe support body 911 and the press body groove 937 may be located at thecenter of the press body 913.

In use of the presser 9 having the above-described configuration, theuser must position a sewing line of laundry in the support body groove913 or in the press body groove 937 and thereafter must pivotally rotatethe press body 931 toward the support body 911 so as to fix the laundry.Thus, there is a risk of the sewing line being deviated from the supportbody groove 913 or the press body groove 937 when the laundry isunintentionally displaced while the press body 931 is coupled to thesupport body 911.

To solve the above-described problem, the laundry treatment apparatus100 according to the present disclosure may further include a guide 8 toprevent laundry from deviating from a support space (i.e. a spaceprovided by the support body 911) and a fixing member 85 (or clip) tofix laundry in the support space.

The fixing member 85 is separably coupled to the door 11 and has one endrotatably secured to the surface of the door 11. The guides 8 protrudefrom the surface of the door 11 to provide a space for reception oflaundry.

The fixing member 85 and the guide 8 may be located at any positions ofthe surface of the door 11 so long as they do not interfere withrotation of the press body 931. FIG. 3 shows the case in which thefixing member 85 is located under the support body 911 and the guide 8is located under the fixing member 85 by way of example.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the guide 8 may include a first guide 81and a second guide 83 respectively located at facing ends of the door11.

The first guide 81 may include a first fixing plate 811 protruding fromthe surface of the door 11 and a first extension plate 813 extendingfrom the first fixing plate 811 toward the second guide 83. The secondguide 83 may include a second fixing plate 831 protruding from thesurface of the door 11 and a second extension plate 833 extending fromthe second fixing plate 831 toward the first guide 81.

A distance between the first fixing plate 811 and the second fixingplate 831 may be equal to a width of the support body 911 (i.e. a lengthof the support body 911 along the Y-axis). A distance between a top endof the first extension plate 813 and the bottom end of the support 91 issubstantially equal to a distance between a top end of the secondextension plate 833 and the bottom end of the support 91.

Accordingly, a free end of laundry supported by the second laundrysupport member 5 via the hook H of the hanger 200 is restricted in termsof movement along the Y-axis by the first fixing plate 811 and thesecond fixing plate 831 and restricted in terms of movement along theX-axis by the first extension plate 813 and the second extension plate833.

The first extension plate 813 of the first guide 81 is extendable inlength toward the second extension plate 833 and the second extensionplate 833 of the second guide 83 is extendable in length toward thefirst extension plate 813.

This serves to prevent movement of laundry along the X-axis by adjustinglengths of the respective extension plates 813 and 833 according to awidth of the laundry.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 3, the fixing member 85 may include afixing body 851 in the form of a bar or board and a fixing body hinge853 to rotatably secure the fixing body 851 to the inner surface of thedoor 11.

The fixing member 85 may be separably coupled to the door 11 via afixing body coupling mechanism.

The fixing body coupling mechanism may include a hook 855 formed at anyone of the fixing body 851 and the door 11, and a hook coupling recess857 formed in the other one of the fixing body 851 and the door 11 toallow the hook 855 to be separably inserted thereinto.

Accordingly, the present disclosure allows the user to fix a position oflaundry via the fixing member 85 after positioning a sewing line of thelaundry in the support body groove 913. This may minimize deviationpossibility of the sewing line of the laundry from the support bodygroove 913 while the press body 931 is coupled to the support body 911.

Meanwhile, the fixing member 85 may be installed so as not to be exposedout of the press body 931. To this end, the press body 931 may furtherinclude a fixing member receiving groove 935 in which the fixing member85 is received.

Preventing the fixing member 85 from being exposed out of the press body931 serves to prevent deterioration in the aesthetics of the interior ofthe receiving space 31 when the door 11 opens the receiving space 31.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the laundry treatment apparatusaccording to the present disclosure. The present embodiment has afeature that a presser receiving recess 13 is formed in the surface ofthe door 11.

The presser receiving recess 13 is recessed to cause the surface of thedoor 11 to be far away from the receiving space 31. As such, the supportstructure 91, the press structure 93, the fixing member 85, and theguide 8, which constitute the presser 9, are received in the presserreceiving recess 13.

Accordingly, the present embodiment has the effects of reducing a weightof the door 11 by positioning the presser 9 in an inner space of thedoor 11 and minimizing a volume of the door 11.

Moreover, the surface of the press body 931 included in the presser 9may be parallel to the surface of the door 11 where the press receivingrecess 13 is not formed.

As is apparent from the above description, the present disclosure hasthe effect of providing laundry treatment apparatuses having a creasemaking means.

In addition, the present disclosure has the effect of providing laundrytreatment apparatuses which provide easy drying, deodorization, removalof wrinkles, and sterilization of laundry.

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to laundry treatmentapparatuses that substantially obviate one or more problems due tolimitations and disadvantages of the related art.

One object of the present disclosure is to provide laundry treatmentapparatuses having a crease making means.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide laundry treatmentapparatuses which provide easy drying, deodorization, removal ofwrinkles, and sterilization of laundry.

Additional advantages, objects, and features will be set forth in partin the description which follows and in part will become apparent tothose having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the followingor may be learned from practice. The objectives and other advantages maybe realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out inthe written description and claims hereof as well as the appendeddrawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, inaccordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a laundrytreatment apparatus includes a cabinet having a receiving space forreception of laundry, a feeder configured to feed at least one of air ormoisture into the receiving space, a support structure placed in thereceiving space, the support structure providing a support space toallow a surface of the laundry to be supported by the support space, aguide affixed in the receiving space, the guide being configured to seta movement range of the laundry to prevent the laundry from deviatingfrom the support space, and a press structure separably coupled to thesupport structure, the press structure being configured to applypressure to the laundry positioned in the support space.

The laundry treatment apparatus according to the present disclosure mayfurther include a fixing member separably coupled in the receivingspace, the fixing member being configured to fix a position of thelaundry supported in the support space.

The support structure and the guide may be affixed to an innercircumferential surface of the receiving space, and the press structureand the fixing member may be rotatably coupled to the innercircumferential surface of the receiving space.

The laundry treatment apparatus according to the present disclosure mayfurther include a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open or closethe receiving space, the support structure and the guide may be affixedto an inner surface of the door facing the receiving space, and thepress structure and the fixing member may be rotatably coupled to theinner surface of the door.

The inner surface of the door may be provided with a presser receivingrecess, the presser receiving recess being recessed to cause the innersurface of the door to be far away from the receiving space, and thesupport structure, the press structure, the fixing member and the guidemay be received in the presser receiving recess.

The support structure may include a support body providing the supportspace, and the press structure may include a press body separablycoupled to the support body to apply pressure to the laundry, the pressbody being rotatably coupled to the inner surface of the door, and abody through-hole perforated in the press body for communication betweenthe receiving space and the support structure.

The support body may be configured to form a plane parallel to the innersurface of the door.

At least one of the press body and the support body may have a grooveconfigured to define a space for non-application of pressure to thelaundry.

The support structure may further include a support body groove formedin a height direction of the door, the support body groove beingrecessed to cause a surface of the support body to be far away from thereceiving space.

The press structure may further include a press body groove recessed ina surface of the press body, the press body groove being aligned withthe support body groove to define a space for non-application ofpressure to the laundry.

The fixing member may be located under the support body, and the pressstructure may further include a fixing member receiving groove formed inthe press body for reception of the fixing member.

The guide may be located under the fixing member so as not to interferewith rotation of the press body.

The guide may include a first guide configured to receive one end of thelaundry parallel to a height direction of the door and a second guideconfigured to receive the other end of the laundry parallel to theheight direction of the door.

The first guide may include a first fixing plate protruding from theinner surface of the door, and a first extension plate extending fromthe first fixing plate toward the second guide to define a space forreception of one end of the laundry, and the second guide may include asecond fixing plate protruding from the inner surface of the door, and asecond extension plate extending from the second fixing plate toward thefirst guide to define a space for reception of the other end of thelaundry.

The laundry treatment apparatus according to the present disclosure mayfurther include a laundry support member affixed to the inner surface ofthe door at a position above the support structure, one end of thelaundry being secured to the laundry support member.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present disclosure areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the present disclosure as claimed.

A laundry treatment apparatus comprises: a cabinet having a spaceconfigured to receive laundry; a feeder configured to feed at least oneof air or moisture into the space; and a press to flatten the laundry,wherein the press includes: a support having an area to support asurface of the laundry; a guide configured to limit a movement range ofthe laundry from deviating from the support area; and a plate structureseparably coupled to the support, the plate structure being configuredto apply pressure to the surface of the laundry positioned in thesupport area.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of such phrases in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within thepurview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising: acabinet having a space configured to receive laundry; a door rotatablycoupled to the cabinet to open or close the space; a feeder configuredto feed at least one of air or moisture into the space; and a press toflatten the laundry, wherein the press includes: a support having anarea to support a surface of the laundry; a guide configured to limit amovement range of the laundry from deviating from the support area; anda plate structure separably coupled to the support, the plate structurebeing configured to apply pressure to the surface of the laundrypositioned in the support area, wherein the guide restricts thelaundry's movement in a direction parallel to a bottom of the cabinet.2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a clamp to fixa position of the laundry supported in the support area.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support and the guide areaffixed to an inner circumferential surface of the receiving space, andthe plate structure and the clamp are rotatably coupled to the innercircumferential surface of the receiving space.
 4. The apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the support and the guide are affixed toan inner surface of the door facing the receiving space, and the platestructure and the clamp are rotatably coupled to the inner surface ofthe door.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the innersurface of the door is provided with a recess, and wherein the support,the plate structure, the clamp and the guide are positioned in therecess.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the supportstructure includes a support body providing the support area, and theplate structure includes a press body separably coupled to the supportbody to apply pressure to the laundry, the press body being rotatablycoupled to the inner surface of the door, and a body through-holeperforated in the press body.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the support body is configured to form a plane parallel to theinner surface of the door.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6,wherein at least one of the press body or the support body has a grooveconfigured to define a space for non-application of pressure to thelaundry.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the supportfurther includes a support body groove formed in a height direction ofthe door, the support body groove being recessed to cause a surface ofthe support body to be further away from the receiving space.
 10. Theapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plate structure furtherincludes a press body groove recessed in a surface of the press body,the, press body groove being aligned with the support body groove todefine a space for non-application of pressure to the laundry.
 11. Theapparatus according to claim 6, wherein the clamp is located under thesupport body, and the plate structure further includes a fixing memberreceiving groove formed in the press body for covering the clamp. 12.The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the guide is located underthe clamp for non-interfere with rotation of the press body.
 13. Theapparatus according to claim 12, wherein the guide includes: a firstguide configured to receive one end of the laundry parallel to a heightdirection of the door, and a second guide configured to receive theother end of the laundry parallel to the height direction of the door.14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first guideincludes a first fixing plate protruding from the inner surface of thedoor, and a first extension plate extending from the first fixing platetoward the second guide to define a space for reception of one end ofthe laundry, and the second guide includes a second fixing plateprotruding from the inner surface of the door, and a second extensionplate extending from the second fixing plate toward the first guide todefine a space for reception of the other end of the laundry.
 15. Theapparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a laundry supportmember or hook affixed to the inner surface of the door at a positionabove the press, one end of the laundry being secured to the laundrysupport member or the hook.
 16. A laundry treatment apparatuscomprising: a cabinet having a space to receive laundry; a doorrotatably coupled to the cabinet to open or close the space; a feederconfigured to feed at least one of air or moisture into the space; and alaundry press provided on an inner side of the door to press thelaundry, wherein the laundry press includes: a support that supports asurface of the laundry; a guide configured to receive the laundrysupported by the support and to restrict a movement of the laundrysupported by the support in a direction parallel to a bottom of thecabinet, the guide includes a fixing plate protruding from the innerside of the door and an extension plate extending in a width directionof the door from a free end of the fixing plate; and a plate provided tobe movable relative to the support, the plate being configured to applypressure to the surface of the laundry positioned on the support. 17.The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 16, wherein the extension plateextends in the width direction of the door so as to face the laundry.18. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 17, wherein the guideincludes a plurality of guides, and the plurality of guides include afirst guide and a second guide, the first guide and the second guidebeing provided a prescribed distance from each other.
 19. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first guide is positionedat a first side of the inner side of the door, and the second guide ispositioned at a second side of the inner side of the door, the firstside and the second side being opposite lateral sides.
 20. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first guide has a firstextension plate that extends laterally from the first side towards thesecond side and the second guide has a second extension plate thatextends laterally from the second side towards the first side.
 21. Thelaundry treatment apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first extensionplate and the second extension plate have a prescribed length thatextends partially across the inner side of the door.
 22. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first extension plate andthe second extension plate are spaced from each other in a widthdirection of the support to accommodate the laundry to be insertedbetween the first extension plate and the second extension plate. 23.The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first extensionplate and the second extension plate are provided below a bottom end ofthe support, and wherein a distance between a top end of the firstextension plate and the bottom end of the support is substantially equalto a distance between a top end of the second extension plate and thebottom end of the support.
 24. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim20, wherein the first extension plate and the second extension plate areprovided at a prescribed distance relative to the support in a directionperpendicular to the door.
 25. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim20, wherein inner surfaces of the first extension plate and the secondextension plate are configured to contact the laundry to restrict themovement of the laundry relative to the support.
 26. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a fixing membermovable in a direction perpendicular to the door to hold a portion ofthe laundry.
 27. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 26, whereinthe fixing member is provided a prescribed distance below a bottom endof the support, and wherein a length of the plate is greater than alength of the support such that when the plate is in a closed positionon the support, the plate covers the fixing member so that the fixingmember is not visible.
 28. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 16,wherein the laundry is pants, and the guide is configured to holdlateral ends of the pants to form a crease, the crease being held on thesupport to be pressed by the plate.
 29. The laundry treatment apparatusof claim 16, wherein the plate extends below the support.
 30. A laundrytreatment apparatus comprising: a cabinet having a space to receivelaundry; a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open or close thespace; a feeder configured to feed at least one of air or moisture intothe space; and a laundry press provided on an inner side of the door topress the laundry, wherein the laundry press includes: a support thatsupports a surface of the laundry; a guide that is provided on the innerside of the door and below the support, the guide being configured toreceive the laundry supported by the support and to restrict thelaundry's movement in a direction parallel to a bottom of the cabinet;and a plate provided to be movable relative to the support, the platebeing configured to apply pressure to the surface of the laundrypositioned on the support, wherein the guide is configured to receivelateral ends of the laundry.
 31. The laundry treatment apparatus ofclaim 30, wherein the guide includes a first guide and a second guide,wherein the first guide and the second guide are separated a prescribeddistance from each other, and wherein the first guide is configured toreceive one of lateral ends of the laundry and the second guide isconfigured to receive another of the lateral ends of the laundry. 32.The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first guide ispositioned at a first side of the inner side of the door and the secondguide is positioned at a second side of the inner side of the door, thefirst side and the second side being opposite lateral sides.
 33. Thelaundry treatment apparatus of claim 32, wherein the first guide has afirst plate that extends laterally from the first side towards thesecond side, and the second guide has a second plate that extendslaterally from the second side towards the first side.
 34. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first plate and the secondplate have a prescribed length that extends partially across the innerside of the door to accommodate the laundry to be inserted between thefirst plate and the second plate, wherein the first plate and the secondplate are provided below a bottom end of the support, wherein a distancebetween a top end of the first plate and the bottom end of the supportis substantially equal to a distance between a top end of the secondplate and the bottom end of the support, and wherein the first plate andthe second plate are provided at a prescribed distance relative to thesupport in a direction perpendicular to the door.
 35. The laundrytreatment apparatus of claim 33, wherein inner surfaces of the firstplate and the second plate are configured to contact the laundry torestrict the movement of the laundry relative to the support.
 36. Thelaundry treatment apparatus of claim 30, wherein the plate extends belowthe support.